ThaiNGO

WWF Thailand is seeking a consultant or group of consultants to deliver an assessment of current use of Single-Use Plastic (SUP) in the tourism sector and municipalities in two tourism destinations in Thailand

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Study on the use of Single Use Plastic, Packaging and Waste Management in the tourism sector and municipalities with a focus on the destination Sites Trang and Koh Tao in Thailand

Reference:

Contracting authority: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Thailand

1. BACKGROUND

1.1 Project description 

The project “Marine Litter Prevention through Reduction, Sustainable Design and Recycling of Plastic Packaging (MA-RE-DESIGN)” (duration 2023 – 2025) aims at reducing plastic waste leakage into the sea through reducing and better managing plastic waste.

A collaboration of GiZ, UNEP COBSEA and the WWF, the project combines activities at the local, national and regional levels, while enhancing the capacities of stakeholders along the plastic value chain, including the private sector. At the national level, the project follows the strategy to promote avoidance and replacement of single-use plastic packaging and on solutions to enhance packaging waste management through, for example, an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system. Local action concentrates on reducing plastic pollution in two tourism hotspots and two municipalities near biodiversity hotspots, which will then serve as replicable examples for other regions. For coherent prevention actions at a regional level, the project fosters knowledge exchange with other Asian countries.

Within this remit, the World Wide Fund for Nature aims to reduce plastic waste leakage originating from the tourism sector and municipalities by motivating and capacitating stakeholders from these sectors in two sites to reduce and better manage plastic waste.

Through thorough, action-guiding assessments, the project will advance understanding of the consumption patterns driving plastic litter generation and its entry paths into the sea.

By raising awareness and conveying possibilities for action, it will encourage stakeholders from the important tourism sector and from municipalities to take action. Lastly, it will support the identification and implementation of concrete mitigatory actions to reduce plastic waste and improve its management to prevent leakage into the sea.

1.2 Outcome of the Project

Effective measures to strengthen the prevention of plastic waste leakage along the packaging value chain into the marine environment in Thailand are implemented by key local, national and regional actors.

1.3 Output of the project

Key stakeholders along the packaging value chain have developed strategies to avoid and replace single-use plastic packaging.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE Assignment

2.1 Objective and scope of the assessment

A substantive amount of the plastic waste currently generated in Thailand originate from the tourism sector and private households, much of it from single-use plastic (SUP) packaging.

Profound knowledge and information about waste management in general and plastic waste generation and management specifically in the destinations is needed to to identify appropriate measures and mobilise and motivate the stakeholders from both sectors (tourism and municipalities)  to avoid and reduce single-use plastic and packaging.

With the necessary background information from this study, the WWF can support ambitious hotels and tourism enterprises to reduce their plastic consumption and local governments to improve policies and waste management in regions where local waste management relies largely on landfills and features low recycling rates.

Therefore, the survey aims to:

Assess SUP consumption and management in the tourism sector in the respective destinations, including how the plastic waste is handled and disposed of, in order to be able to identify reduction and recycling potentials and reduce leakage to the sea. By identifying best practices, the study will formulate recommendations how the use of single-use plastic (packaging) in the tourism sector can be avoided or reduced or plastic wastes recycled. Building on the above analysis and a stakeholder mapping developed by the contracting authority, key findings and respective recommendations for the local tourism industry shall be developed to avoid and better manage plastic waste.

By addressing especially the accommodation sector, international and domestic guests will be influenced to increasingly pay attention to the issue. Ideally, the results shall be applicable to other high-traffic tourism destinations in Thailand and the world where plastic waste is a threat to the environment and the tourism business itself.

Note: In regard to tourism, a focus should be on working with the accommodation sector, as appropriate. In Trang province, depending on the selection of focus sites other tourism-related businesses may be more relevant, for example where domestic day travellers prevail. 

2.2 Required outputs:

A) Desk-top Research on plastic waste generation and disposal in Thailand and existing legislation to ban single-use plastics: Short description of the current situation of plastic waste quantities and management, disposal and leakage in Thailand with graphics, diagrams and data, as well as a summary of current policies, and legislation  in Thailand to ban single use plastics; manage plastic waste from the tourism sector and in municipalities; and prevent leakage into the oceans, including an evaluation of the degree of effectiveness.

B) Plastic waste flow analysis a) in the municipalities of Koh Tao and Trang City, with a focus on b) the tourism/hotel sector on Koh Tao and in 2-3 tourism hotspots (to be selected in agreement with the contracting authority) in Trang Province: Analysis and description of the current situation of waste generation, management, disposal and leakage in the focus sites (Koh Tao and Trang city) in general and in the cause and effect of tourism. This includes:

An introductory part relevant to both sectors:

• Analysis of waste streams and particularly SUP waste volumes based on primary and secondary data, e.g. existing statistics from Thai authorities, industry associations and international organizations (e.g. World Bank Report “Plastic Waste Material Flow Analysis for Thailand“) combined with information from the respective project sites (e.g. population statistics, per capita waste generation, proportion of plastic content in various waste streams) and relevant data collected there in order to estimate the volume of total municipal solid waste, the plastic fraction (esp. SUP) , waste collection and recycling quotas, the proportion of plastic recovery vs. disposal and leakage disaggregated by common types of plastic packaging (PET, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP, PS)
• Analysis of waste infrastructure: number of landfills and their capacities, type of landfill and general shipment/collection practice, presence of recycling companies, especially taking into account the informal sector to map and quantify the recycling path of post-consumer waste.

Focused on the tourism sector :

• Analysis of tourist volumes and characteristics in the project sites using data and statistics from Thai authorities, tourism stakeholders and tourism business associations (e.g. Thai Hotel Association). Note  
• Analysis of types and quantities of plastic waste in a sample of hotels in both destinations
• By putting SUP waste volumes in relation to tourism volumes, an estimation of per capita waste generation of tourists shall be made.
• Existing studies on the effects of tourism on the environment in Thailand and an analysis of local initiatives can assist to draw conclusions regarding post-consumer plastics in tourism.
• Developing a methodology for estimating avoided plastic waste (x Kg) in the tourism sector, applicable by the businesses: Which avoidance methods are (and could be) used by local actors in the tourism sector and which types and quantities of SUP could be avoided as a result shall be established through surveys (online, on-site) as well as expert discussions with relevant target groups and decision-makers.
• Development of recommendations for concrete measures and pilot projects to avoid SUP and packaging for tourism businesses (especially hotels and activity providers) and guest

Focused on the municipalities:

• Analysis of average per capita-waste generation in households based on data on total municipal waste, and the prevalence of household-level segregation and recovery practices as well as citizen’s knowledge on plastic waste management and attitudes towards segregation based on a sample survey in the two municipalities
• Developing municipal waste management options/scenarios, including the avoidance, improved collection, recovery and disposal of municipal plastic waste, with a multi-criteria assessment of their respective characteristics.

C) Mobilization of the tourism/hotel sector and of municipalities:

Focused on the tourism sector:

• Presentation and validation of the assessment findings (A and B) in one stakeholder roundtable per destination led by WWF Thailand with participation by WWF-DE and the recruited consultants Supporting the identification of potential corporate partners: In a stakeholder process involving roundtables and bilateral discussions, partnerships with hospitality businesses will be formed to achieve concrete measures and SUP reduction commitments 

Focused on the municipalities:

• Presentation and validation of the assessment findings and recommendations and discussion of the MSWM options/scenarios in one stakeholder roundtable per municipality, led by WWF Thailand with participation by WWF-DE and the recruited consultants.
• Technical support for and participation in a second stakeholder workshop per municipality dedicated to assessing and prioritising concrete MSWM options, including measures addressing the tourism sector. The discussion will be continued and culminate in the formalisation of action plans for both municipalities.

2.3 Deliverables and acceptance of works

The following deliverables are expected:

3. QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

The successful bidder or team of bidders must fulfill the following requirements; please note experiences/qualifications in a team can be complementing each other:

• The successful bidder or a majority of the team must hold a university degree (Masters Degree or equivalent) in a relevant discipline, such as sustainable tourism, environmental engineering, environmental management or economics/business administration;
• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience (or at least 2 assignments/ references) with municipal and/or plastic waste management, the development of waste baseline assessments and recommendations/feasibility studies for management options;
• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in sustainable tourism development
• Knowledge of and experience with multi-stakeholder (public and private) and intercultural collaboration
• Proven experience with social research methods (data collection and analysis, incl. surveys)
• Proven experience in providing and creating the technological solutions to meet the needs of problem related or can be adopted to the environmental issues
• Proven experience in working with government or local authorities
• Proven cultural sensitivity and knowledge of Thai culture,
• Professional stakeholder engagement/ communication/ consultation meetings
• Business fluency in Thai and good English at least at the team level. Evidence of the qualifications is to be provided as part of the bid. Mixed consortia of local and international experts are welcome.

4.  Timeline

The following timeline is tentative and subject to agreement with the consultant. Bidders are requested to indicate their availability and proposed schedule in their tender:

5. Tender Process and Proposal Submission Requirements

Interested consultants should submit their bid by 30 November, 2023 (17.30 hrs). The bid should be a maximum of 14 pages including CVs and include:

• Cover letter
• Company description (if applicable) and CVs of key experts (max. 4 pages)
• Relevant project references (with copies or online links, to at least two relevant projects)
• Proposed methodology, survey forms, and work plan, including milestones
• Project team
• Proposed budget (breakdown into reimbursement expenses and consultant fees; taxes included)

Please send the bids by e-mail with attachments to procurement@wwf.or.th Questions and requests for additional information should be addressed in writing.

6. Terms of Conditions

• Bidder or team of bidders must be retained as independent and not engaged in an employee-employer relationship, partnership, joint venture, or agency contract of any kind with World Wide Fund for Nature International: WWF or any of its programme offices.
• Bidder or team of bidders must be genuine and not made in the interest of or on behalf of any undisclosed person, firm or corporation, and is not submitted in conformity with any agreement or rules of any group, association, or corporation.
• Bidder or team of bidders must not directly nor indirectly induce or solicit any other bidder to submit a false or sham bid.
• Bidder or team of bidders must not solicit nor induce any person, firm or corporation to refrain from responding.
• Bidder or team of bidders must not be sought by collusion or otherwise to obtain any advantage over any other bidders.

7. Evaluation criteria

Bidder or team of bidders must consist of two Key Experts, involved in fieldwork, and a pool of experts to complement additional expertise.

• Team Leader: Responsible for project management and liaison with WWF. MSW management experience preferably with national/regional/local experience.
• Survey expert: Responsible for conducting the field surveys. Strong analytical skills, understanding of MSW data, organisational and logistical skills.
   

Pool of experts: As required to complement the key experts for the complete delivery of the project.

All bids received will be rated against the following criteria: